The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-11-11
TRAGEDIES OF NIAGARA.
DEATH OF CHARLES ARLINGTON
AND EVA Dis FORREST.

Dread Of a Similar Fate for Himself
Harrisburg pa Letter in Ne,c York sun.
a. am going to Niagara Falls" said
passenger on a Pennsylvania railroad train
from Philadelphia yesterday, land if yen
read in the papers in day or so that some
person, known or unknown, has been car.
ried over the falls, you may be sure that
have reached my destination. No it won't
he me-not if | can help it. But l have
never been to Niagara yet that some one
did not go over the falls, either fnten-
tionally or accidentally, and nothing but
a positive and important business engage
ment, such as compels me to go there now.
could induce me to visit the spot which is
associated in my mind with three terrible
tragedies | was a Mortified spectator of
two most heart-rending Niagara tragedies,
and on my third visit TO the falls the other
was enacted. | have been for six weeks
trying to avoid this fourth trip, for my
recollections Of Niagara are sufficiently I'M
pleasant without having a fourth one to be
a perpetual shudder to me.
My first visit to Niagara was in the
summer of 1858, and l had been there not
snOre than an hour when | witnessed the
agonizing scene Of young man and beau
flful IdlI-udITeu Cnliu swept away Dy UUe
swift current of Goat Island and dashed
over the falls. The young man was Charles
Addington, and the child was little Eva De
Forrest. The Addingtons and De FORESTS
were prominent Buffalo families. Young
Charles Addington was engaged to be mar
4ied to Ada De Forrest. The day that
paid my first visit to Niagara Mrs. De For
rest, Ada and her little sister Eva, and
Young Arlington had come from Buffalo
for days outing at the falls. They pic
nicked on Goat Island, and little Eva having
strayed away from the group her mother
sent young Arlington to find her and fetch
her back He discovered her not far away,
standing on the shore, looking at the swift
water. Thoughtlessly stealing up behind
her, he grasped the child under the arms
and, lifting her up, held her out over the
water. She threw up her arms and slipped
from his hands into the river Arlington
sprapg in and caught her before she had
been carried into the swift water He sue
Ceeded, after a desperate struggle, in get
ting back near enough to the shore TO throw
the child on the bank. She had not suffi-
Gent strength to hold on until her mother
could grasp her, and pull her toa safe place,
and fell back into the current. Addington
again seized her, but he was too much ex-
hausted to make way against the swift wa
ter. and the two were carried into the rap
ids and disappeared together over the falls
was on Goat island and saw the whole &C.
Currence.
I'm the summer of 1854 | again visited
Niagara Falls l arrived there at night.
and early next morning l walked over to
Goat Island, and looking down the Ameri-
can rapids what should | see but a man
clinging TO an old tree trunk that had lodged
at some time in the current between the
small islands off Goat Island and the Amer-
can shore. Before | could give the alarm
the man had been discovered by others, and
the news spread rapidly. Who the man was
or how he came to be in this perilous situa-
ton no one ever knew, but it was supposed
that he had been rowing across the river
somewhere above the night before, and
losing control of his boat, had been swept
down into the rapids, and the boat striking
the trunk, he had by some miracle gained a
toothold upon it.
las soon as possible after the discovery
of the man was made word was telegraphed
TO Buffalo, and party of life savers came
on special train to the Falls to try and
rescue him. Before 10 o'clock thousands of
persons were gathered at every available
spot where sight of the unfortunate man
could be obtained. The railroads ran
special trains, and people came in convey
ances of all kinds from the surrounding
country. No one seemed at first to know
how to 60 to work to be Of aid to the man,
but he chung to the tree, watching every
movement that was made-how anxiously
he watched may be imagined. 1t was Of
course impossible to make him hear
anything that might be shouted to
him, and there was no way to give
him any directions. Finally a life
boat was attached to a cable and let down
the rapids from the bridge toward him.
Guide ropes were tied to it, by which it was
directed toward the log by men on the shore
of the island. The plan was well calculated,
and the boat made directly for the spot
where the man was hanging between life
and death. The assembled multitude began
to feel that in few minutes the poor man
would be safely drawn ashore. Suddenly the
boat was caught by a swirl of the rapids
The cable parted like a weak kite string
The boat rushed past the man like a flash,
and was carried over the falls.
This sad ending to that effort to rescue
the man showed the life savers that there
was no hope for the man in that plan. Sew
eral others were suggested, and finally one
was adopted which it took until late in
the afternoon TO get in readiness In all
those long hours Of suspense | don't believe
one of the spectators moved from his tracks.
Everything else about Niagara Falls was
forgotten except the terrible scene of a fel-
low-being hanging on the verge of death
and patiently awaiting the success or fail
ure of the efforts that were being made to
rescue him. The plan adopted was to fasten
str ong cable securely to the American
shore, attach a staunch raft to it, carry the
loose end of the cable over to the island
and let it belly down with the raft to
the tree trunk. By this means it was
hoped that the raft, after reaching the log,
and the man had crawled upon it, could be
steadily drawn to q small island between
the man and Goat Island, from which small
island his rescue would be easy Some food
and glass of brandy were hoated on the
raft, with a rope and written instructions
to the man as to what was to be done and
what he must do. The raft moved down
and reached the tree trunk in safety. As
the man dropped from his perilous perch
upon the raft, dashed himself to it with the
rope according to instructions, and then
eagerly seized the brandy and food, such
shout as went from the thousands of people
who had watched the proceedings
with beating hearts and bated breath
was never heard before 1t could be
heard above the angry roar of Niagara. The
raft was slowly pulled toward the SMALL
island. Everything seemed working to
charm. The tension on the feelings of the
spectators was SO great that many tainted
away. People were sobbing on every side.
Suddenly the raft stopped. The cable,
drawn as it was, beneath the water, cought
on some obstruction. All efforts TO loosen
1t were unavailing. One groan of agony
arose from the great crowd The life-Savers